The Strength Of A Whirlpool
by RinPuffy
Summary: An extraordinary girl in a mundane world...untill she finds her place. Pairing will take some time to emerge.
1. Chapter 1: A Moonlit Night

**The Strength Of A Whirlpool**

_By RinPuffy_

_Disclaimer: I strive hard to own Naruto. However, this dream has not been acheived as of yet._

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To start off, I would say that Kaori was your normal, average girl. She looked like one, if you couldn't see her eyes. Her so very blue eyes—it could have been warm if she had tried. But she didn't see reason to. Her hair was golden, a warm golden, one that made you think of sunshine, daffodils, and all manner of pleasant golden stuff. She was 5 foot 7, a height that made her taller than some. But then I would be lying. Because Kaori is not your normal, average girl. At least not from our point of view.

Because for one thing, Kaori had an aura. She could not find another word for the thing, the very power (_or was it_?) that she had. That blue mist that gave her strength, that enabled her to do _more_, seemed to come from her very essence. She called it…she called it…nothing. Because she just couldn't give something that awesome a name.

Of course, it had created problems. When she was young, and, she liked to think, foolish, she had exhibited her powers. And after that it had gotten round. Some thought she practiced witchcraft. Some held her in awe, but never came near, much like a superhero in a graphic novel that is held in respect, but close connections are never forged. Her difference was held in admire, and never touched. She was lonely. Some never came close, knowing she had the power, but not knowing what she would do with it. And so at a young age, she was isolated. One cannot blame her for how she grew up to be- cold, indifferent, not liking contact with others. However, in her free time, she spent on herself- gathering knowledge, training her physical ability. She had sharp intellect and a fit physique. Her only failing was her inability to trust anyone.

Perhaps more should be explained of her past. She is an orphan, and grew up with nannies and governesses, of whom she had no affection for. Her vast fortune she inherited from her deceased parents, whose past she was disinterested in. In fact, she felt no care at all for any being, not even herself. It was a cold, neutral connection. She had her oddities, though. It proved she was human. She liked dogs and wolves, and reveled in their strength and grace.

Kaori liked to create new things to do with her power. She called them her inventions. It gave her a special feeling to create something, perhaps the only one she had ever felt. She didn't describe it as an emotion, however. To her it was an adrenaline rush.

One afternoon, she was working on such a thing. Her index fingers and thumbs were joined, and she pouring her aura into it. It made an interesting web, and if she concentrated enough, she could see flashes of…other people, other places. It was very strange. She had been experimenting with this a few days now.

But today was different. Today, as she looked into the web, her heart gave a jolt. Not used to emotions, she was surprised, and even a little hurt. And yet she did not recoil. Somehow (although she would not have used the word 'instinct') her hands stayed. And she looked into the web, even deeper than before…

**cue the sound effects, which here would have been a cosmic soundtrack, followed by the sound of falling winds**

Kaori seemed somehow _absorbed _into the web of her aura—but now her photographic memory failed her. She couldn't remember anything, but a sensation of falling, which seemed to last for an eternity…

She fell with a bone jarring thud. Yet, as she was used to broken bones and the like, she could not sense anything wrong at all. How very strange.

She tussled with her mind, and managed to gain consciousness for a while. She saw a silvery moon and a man with silvery looking hair bending over her…

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**And so I very happily leave you with this cliffhanger -!...or maybe not cliffhanger? **

**Oh, and just so you know, Kaori means "Strong" and Uzumaki, when I searched it, means "Whirlpool". Hence the overly dramatic title.**


	2. CHapter 2:And the Silver Stranger

Disclaimer: Though I think of owning Naruto in my dreams, it has not become a reality…yet. Watch out, Kishimoto.

She regained consciousness behind her closed eyelids. The sensation throughout her body was warm and pleasant, similar to that of a hot bath.

She heard a woman's deep voice say, "I have done my part, she is now conscious."

Then she heard a deep man's voice say, "Thank you, Tsunade-sama."

Kaori's eyes fluttered open, and she heard the woman's voice gasp. She saw a lady, perhaps in her mid-twenties at the very most, standing by her side. The lady wore a grey and green robe. She had big brown eyes and sandy blonde hair tied to two pigtails. On her forehead was a lavender mark in the shape of a diamond. The lady is beautiful, there is no doubt. There was only the lady in the room, and she must therefore be Tsunade-sama.

There was a man in the room, the only man. He had very light blondish hair (which was what had made his hair seem silvery in the moonlight) His eyes were a light chestnut brown. His skin, in contrast to the light colouring of his hair and eyes, was tanned, but not very deeply. He had a slender, muscular frame. On his forearm there was a tattoo, one that seemed familiar, and yet annoyingly could not be placed in her mind. She was slightly disturbed by all the lapses in memory she seemed to be having—it made her feel insecure.

He noticed her…observing him. She was alien to social etiquette, and considered it quite acceptable to give someone a scrutinizing stare.

"My name is Ryu. Homare Ryu. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

_Dragon. Honour. How very cliché._ She studied him gravely, and considered not answering. But this would be an unwise move in unknown territory. And she replied, "My name is Uzumaki Kaori."

"I thought so." Tsunade-sama spoke at last. Her eyes traveled over Kaori's face, scanning every detail. "You are quite like our own Naruto. But you must explain- how did you come, to quote Ryu, 'appear in but a puff of smoke, and fall to the ground unconscious'?"

Ryu seemed to be unabashed by this rather indirect tease.

"I-" And for once in her life, she stopped her sentence midway. She noticed that Tsunade-sama had the same blue aura that she had. And it absolutely stunned her for a minute.

Tsunade, who seemed to notice the abrupt stop in her speech, looked at her concernedly.

"You have…" and again her voice trailed off. This was proving to be a night of surprises.

Tsunade looked at her hand. "Oh, you mean- chakra?"

Kaori's head hurt. They had managed to give it a name. But by her voice she did not seem very concerned about it.

"I have it too." She held out her hand and focused. As the aura- no, chakra accumulated in her palm, the force of it managed to rustle up a gentle breeze.

Tsunade examined it with a critical eye. Certainly, there was the strength, but she obviously hadn't been thought the basics. They could use the talent she had, so it would be good to assign her a teacher…

"Until we can get you a place to stay, you will be having a temporary residence in the shelter. We could possibly lodge you at some in, but the hour is late and there us no use spending the money when it is only momentary. I have no doubt that it will be uncomfortable, but this will only be very temporary. One night at the most."

Despite herself, Kaori was impressed. Tsunade-sama proved to be more efficient than most hotels.

The shelter was as promised- uncomfortable. She was only provided with a thin mattress, which was no better than sleeping on the floor. She wasn't sure about the pillows, which was lumpy, threadbare, and bloodstained, so she went without. There were no blankets. Kaori tried to get a few hours of sleep. She was normally lucky if she could get more than 3. Making a mental note of the shade of the sky, she fell asleep.

When she woke up again, the sky was the slightest bit lighter. That was good. She had slept for more than 2 hours. Although not feeling altogether refreshed, she climbed the window frame to take a look at the village that she was now residing in.

It was a fairly large village. There were various buildings, including the one that she recognized as the…village leader's building. Perhaps the village, which name she did not even know, had a special name for their leader.

_It is strange, _she thought, as she looked at the village with her head rested on the window frame, _but I feel more at home that I have ever felt. There's something so irritatingly familiar about this place. The thought of being comfortable is one quite hard to handle._


End file.
